70 BULLETIN 326, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In his list of birds published in 1883 Stahl simply remarks (p. 61 , that it is a 

 migrant. Gundlach (1878a, p. 172) saw the species flying at Vega Baja, Do- 

 rado, and Bayamon ; and Bello secured one at Mayag'iiez. Dr. C. W. Richmond 

 (MS.) examined a specimen from the Stahl collection in San Juan in 1900. 

 Sundevall (1869, p. 600) lists one in the collection sent by Hjalmarson. I did 

 not see or hear of this bird. 



GILT-CRESTED HUMMINGBIRD, Microlyssa exilis exilis (Gmelin). 



ZUMBADOR. 



The beautiful gilt-crested hummingbird was fairly common on Vieques Island 

 March 16 to April 3 and one was taken on Culebra April 12. Sundevall (1869, 

 p. 600) has recorded the species from Porto Rico, but according to Gundlach 

 (1878, p. 224) specimens received from Hjalmarson are of uncertain origin 

 and may possibly have come from St. Bartholomew. Hjalmarson himself was 

 uncertain as to the exact locality. 



Food. — In seven stomachs examined, animal food amounted to 100 per cent. 

 Small homopterous remains which were found in one. stomach made up 14.29 

 per cent, and flies in another, 5 per cent. Hymenoptera, among which were 

 many fragments of ants as well as small parasitic species, were found in three 

 stomachs and amounted to 26.42 per cent. Remains of small spiders (Oxyopes 

 sp. and others) constituted 54.29 per cent. The small Homoptera taken are all 

 injurious, but the parasitic Hymenoptera are beneficial. It was impossible, how- 

 ever, to determine just which of the hymenopterous insects were actually pre- 

 dacious and which were tiny flower-loving wasps and bees of no economic im- 

 portance. The spiders, though predacious, can do as much harm as good, .so 

 that this hummer may be considered of no great economic importance but 

 worthy of preservation because of its small size and beauty. 



[RUBY-THROATED KU3IMIXGBIRD. ArcMlochis colubris (Linnaeus). 



ZUMBADOR. 



Gundlach includes the ruby-throated hummingbird in his list, from a picture seen in 

 Bello's album, but there is no other record. He mentions (187S, p. 226) a hummingbird 

 sent him by Blanco in 1868 that resembled the female of this species, but had a tail like 

 that of " Lampornis " (Anthracothorax) . There is no certain basis for including it 

 among the birds of Porto Rico.] 



PORTO RICAX EMERALD, FORK-TAILED HUM3IIXGBIRD. CJllorostitton 

 maugcei (Audebert and Vieillot). 



ZUMBADOR, ZUMZUMj COLIBRI., ZUMBADORCITO. 



The small fork-tailed hummer is mainly a species of the coffee plantations in 

 high altitudes, though on the dry south side of the island it ranges to the coast. 

 These birds were frequently observed searching over and under the limbs of 

 the trees and about the leaves and twigs of the coffee. They were seen in the 

 coastal region at Manati only, on the north coast, and not again until Salinas 

 was reached. In the eastern portion of the island they were found only on 

 El Yunque, where they occurred sparingly up to 2,500 feet elevation, and were 

 not seen again in the eastern portion until one was noted above Cayey. 

 They are most abundant on the western end of the island from Aibonito west. 

 Preferring deep shade, they use low perches in coffee trees, only going up to 

 perch on dead limbs in the sun on cool, damp mornings. Their humming was 

 heard many times when the birds themselves could not be located. On shaded 

 slopes high in the mountains they sometimes fed in the open, . among the low 

 bushes. They are very pugnacious and pursue each other with sharp, squeaking 

 notes. 



The breeding season begins apparently the first of February, and full-grown 

 young were common near Lares in June. The adults molt in May and June, 



